Catholic Guilt
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Posts posted by Catholic Guilt
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http://buffalobillsreview.com/ Pretty cool stuff for you techno geek Bills fans like me.
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Eric Moulds is a playmaker. Any coach that doesn't include him in gameplanning is a moron.
Sorry Eric - you deserve much much better.
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I didn't speak to my wife until the next morning. She's a smart one - knows to let me alone in my cave...
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Holidays are Stressful, and I am Tired of Losing
Can I still root for the Bills?
by Tony Bogyo
December 6, 2005
The holiday season is upon us and with it comes the extra hustle and
bustle and stress that can really drag you down. There simply isn't
enough time in the day to go about your normal daily business while also
putting up holiday decorations, fighting the crowds at the mall and
wondering how you're ever going to wrap that hockey stick you got for
your nephew.
On Saturday I spent multiple hours on a ladder putting up the Christmas
lights, fighting with extension cords and wondering why in the name of
all that is holy I was risking my life to provide a festive display for
my neighbors and passersby. Although I am confident that I now possess
the electrical planning skills needed to rewire New Orleans, I am sad to
report that the lights are so poorly made that they do not stay on all
at once (if anyone knows where I can obtain reasonably rugged lights to
replace the substandard pieces of junk made by Chinese slave labor that
I currently have, please drop me a line).
No sooner did I get off the ladder than I got in the car and spent some
quality time shopping with the drooling masses of idiots at Wal-Mart and
Best Buy - I swear their merchandise is made from Soylent Green - you
can feel the evil just walking through those stores. You don't really
want to buy a DVD player for $29, but somehow you do because all the
other lemmings are doing it and it's such a great deal! I bought 8 and I
don't even want them, but I feared being reported to authorities if I
didn't do my duty as a consumer and do my part to support
hyper-capitalism and its impact around the world.
I thought Sunday would be a much better day - Bills football and a
chance to see how J.P. Losman was progressing. The game really lifted me
out of the holiday blues. Losman and the Bills came out on fire -
possibly the best start to any game I had ever seen. 2 really nice long
passes to Lee Evans for scores and a turnover on defense - this is
certainly a taste of the future Bills, the team that would be a
contender sooner rather than later. The young quarterback looked really
good - doing the little things that the great ones do but are so hard to
learn like looking off a safety. Knowing the playoffs were all but out
of reach, I was content to see the Bills play well and make progress for
the future.
Somewhere along the line, the Bills fell apart in a collapse of epic
proportion. If you saw it, you know there really aren't words to
describe it. It's a numbness mixed with gnawing at the gut. Your stomach
feels hollow; the blood rushes from your face and you feel light-headed.
You get tunnel vision and stare off into nothing, unable to process the
events around you. I've had it before, but Sunday's case was most severe
since the forward lateral play in Tennessee a few years back.
A day later and the feeling isn't much better. The numbness has worn off
and I've been able to hold down food, but the realization has set in
that the Bills give me no reason to take pride in being a Bills fan.
It's funny being a Bills fan. You grow up with them in Western New York
and they become something that stays with you the rest of your life. You
may move out of the area, but chances are you still root for the red,
white and blue on Sundays. You own and continue to buy all things
Buffalo Bills - from the cap and jersey down to the officially-licensed
shower curtain and fondue set.
The last half-dozen years have certainly tested the spirits of Bills
fans, but today I, like many others, feel no desire to proclaim
membership in Bills Nation. It's not abandoning the team (I'll certainly
keep rooting for them after I get over today's pain), it's simply desire
to publicly disassociate oneself from a hapless franchise. Like the
Saints fans of yesteryear who wore bags over their heads but still went
to the game because they could not tear themselves away from their team,
I feel that I also need some anonymity.
Nobody likes a loser in the NFL, the league where greatness is cyclical.
Great teams years ago have fallen back to earth, while those perennially
wallowing in mediocrity have risen to the ranks of playoff contenders.
Sooner or later, your team will rise again thanks to the salary cap,
schedule and the draft.
After phenomenal success in the early 1990s, the Bills were due to fall
from greatness. John Butler left and the Bills were stuck in salary cap
hell. It took a few years, but eventually the team put their financial
woes to rest and began rebuilding. Within 5 years or so the Bills should
have been on the rise, back in position to contend for playoff berths
and division championships. The task was made more difficult by the
success of the New England Patriots, but because the NFL is cyclical
they would eventually come back to earth.
Unfortunately, the Bills never emerged from their fall and appear to be
sliding down towards a period of rebuilding. After years of waiting for
the playoffs, it doesn't appear that they will contend in the near
future. Too many pieces need to be put into place - offensive and
defensive lines, cornerback, safety - to accomplish the task in less
than a few years.
As a fan, I'm tired of waiting for next year, thinking that the Bills
are almost there. I am tired of watching a team find new and imaginative
ways to abuse my emotions on a weekly basis. I am tired of explaining
why I wear a Bills cap in New England and reminding Patriots fans that
the day will come when my Bills are a good team. I've realized that
instead of looking like a guy with pride in my team, I look like a guy
who doesn't know any better than to look like a complete fool. A guy who
goes to see the Harlem Globetrotters and roots for the New York
Nationals. A guy who plays the role of a modern day Sisyphus.
As if my holiday stress and Bills pain were not enough, today marks the
day Sports Illustrated announced its choice for Sportsman of the Year.
Like a dagger to the heart, there on the cover is Tom Brady, golden-boy
nemesis of the Bills and quarterback of the very beatable 7-5 New
England Patriots. The guy who should be watching the Bills win the AFC
East. The guy who will undoubtedly add more pain to our Sunday afternoon
next week.
Is it any wonder that the suicide rate spikes this time of year? It's
more than a Bills fan should have to bear.
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We also had a safety against New England in Foxboro back in the late 90's. Mike Lodish if I remember corectly.
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I'm friends of Frank's and you are correct... Any comparsion is insane.
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Maybe this will bring the changes we all want.
Did Moulds get a catch today?
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I met Bill Polian and his sons before during their time in Carolina. He is extremely loyal to the core. He wants to be around his own people. With that being said, he also likes to run things his way. He left Carolina after Daddy Richardson promoted his snot-nosed son Mark to President. He had issues with Mark and didn't feel he deserved the honor. They butted heads numerous times until Bill left for Indy. The next years were some of the worst football Carolina ever played and the boned headed moves affected them for years.
Say what you will about the man, but he has a track record of success.
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SHOW SOME REPLAYS!!!!
We heard the morons in the booth tell us Steve Smith pushed off on his 30 yard catch. Do you think we'd see a reply? NOPE Lawyer Milloy blitzs and looks like he got chop blocked. As he is laying on the ground injured - no replay cut to commerical break. I cannot take announcers these days. Am I becoming a prude or does it seem a majority of them are unprepared?
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Gotta make some points about the Fox Broadcast of the game yesterday.
1.
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I agree. I find myself caring more about my fantasy teams than the Bills. I just cannot believe how bad this team became in just one season. I expect them to lose every Sunday, and that is a sad reality.
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Panthers beat the Bucs but this is the talk of Charlotte today...
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I can ask Frank Reich when he gets back in town for some incite if you'd like.
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Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Frank Reich has been selected to receive the 2005 Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, presented by the Monday Quarterback Club. He will receive the award at the Quarterback Club luncheon on Monday, November 28 at the HSBC Arena Harbour Club Restaurant in downtown Buffalo.
Reich is a native of Lebanon, PA and a graduate of the University of Maryland. He played for the Bills for nine years (1985-94). He went on to play for the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Detroit Lions before retiring from pro football in 1999 after a 13-year career which started in 1985 when he was a third round draft choice of the Bills. He lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife Linda and their three daughters. He is the president of the Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte.
This is the 20th year that the Monday QB Club has presented the Distinguished Service Award named for Bills’ owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.
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Link doesn't work for me. anyone have a mirror site?
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Sometimes, it’s amazing what ESPN can do. On Sunday night, they made me HATE Tedy Bruschi. And I do NOT hate Tedy Bruschi. But after watching the four-letter shove 10 gallons of sap down my throat about his comeback, it was official. I hated him.
Good job, Bristol Hype Company. You’ve done it again.
Look, here’s the bottom line. We are all happy Bruschi has come back. Yes, having a stroke is serious. But it’s not like other players haven’t come back from much worse. In a football sense, having a blown-out knee is much worse. It affects how you play for the rest of your career. Doubt is always in your mind. You are not quite as explosive.
Yet from the moment they opened the microphones, the over-wrought schmaltz started flowing. Suzy Kolber, preeningly annoying on her best night, was beyond vomit inducing with a lengthy (actually “interminable” would have been more like it) recap of all the emotional “human drama” he went through with his wife.
I took the time while suffering through it, to say a prayer that she gains 50 pounds and is out of television in 2 years. God help me on that one.
As if that wasn’t enough, Patrick & Co. slathered the “Bruschi story” with layer after layer of hyperbole, including the ridiculous playing of a song “Hero” with highlights of him making plays going in and out of timeouts.
All this, while our boys are still fighting and dying in Iraq. Hero, harrumph.
Taped interviews about the subject were run during live action, and more than once over-ran the events on the field. It was as if ESPN were saying: “If we could actually cover up the live video of the game to show you our interview with Belichick without being sacked by torch wielding football fans in a murderous rage, we would.”
The game, as always with the Sunday night crew, was a mere prop or backdrop for them to strut their stuff. Hey, look at us! We have production! We have interviews! Us, us, us! It’s all about us! Never mind what YOU, the football fan wants (like, uh, the game) and the usual analysis of what’s happening on the field.
No, you need to sit down and listen to US. Because WE say this is the BIGGEST THING EVER! And the next time something else this BIG comes along in sports, we’ll make sure to SHOVE IT down your throats once again.
Because WE know, and you are STUPID. Now look at Bruschi’s wife in the stands, and shut up about wanting to see another replay. Because this man, who is a FATHER dammit, is doing something NOBODY has ever done! And THAT’s important, not your stupid REPLAY.
I wonder, just wonder, if anybody in one of the big glossy tabled conference rooms in Bristol said last week in a meeting: “You know, we need to be careful not to over-do it on the Bruschi angle.” It seems obvious, the answer is no. But what if they had even MORE planned, before somebody spoke up?
Frightening thought.
There was however, one redeeming moment of the evening. Long after I had gone to bed, several of you loyal readers of this space, emailed me the priceless Suzy moment right after the game. Bruschi is coming off the field, smiling and triumphant. Here comes lil’ Suz with her microphone and beaming cheeks.
And Tedy blows her off. I mean, just walks past her like she was a member of the chain gang. Beautiful. Priceless.
Welcome back Tedy. Now shut up ESPN.Czaben's Website
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OK I'll bite. Who is Brad?
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MY 2 cents sent to ESPN
Your coverage of last night's Tedy Bruschi love fest was the worse display of one sided commentating I've seen in 35 years of watching professional football. Time and time again you gusted over Tedy, his wife, Robert Kraft, Tedy's kids and Tedy's dog. It's a nice story, but in case you forgot, there are TWO teams on the field. I thought your coverage during last year's Michael Vick love fest (Carolina/Atlanta) game was bad, but you've managed to top that fiasco. It was unwatchable. How many times did you miss an important play because you were loving on Tedy again and again. Quit trying to be like Oprah and let the game do the talking!
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WOW you are pretty funny! I don't see why your wit is wasted on these boards. You are the next Andrew Dice Clay! Branch out man...
Im sick ...
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
"In his career Eric Moulds has bent over backwards for the Bills' organization. Through mostly losing seasons, the three-time Pro Bowler has taken pay cuts, and accepted a wide array of unsuccessful quarterbacks. After Jim Kelly retired, Moulds has seen such world beaters as Todd Collins, Billy Joe Hobert, Rob Johnson, and Alex Van Pelt. The only decent quarterbacks in the Moulds era have been Doug Flutie and at times, Drew Bledsoe. Although first-year starter J.P. Losman has shown flashes, Moulds hasn't been his favorite target. In Losman's eight starts, Moulds has caught just 27 passes for 168 yards and no touchdowns. During Kelly Holcomb's four starts, Moulds pulled in 27 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns."